Music a Record Born to Run

Fans of Bruce Springsteen's unique brand of hard-driving, foot-stomping rock 'n' roll have long lamented that recordings of his live performances have been available only in illegal, bootlegged editions. On Nov. 10 that will change, when Columbia Records releases a five-record boxed set called Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band Live, 1975-85. This three-hour-plus compendium of concert excerpts by the "Boss" is expected to retail for between $25 and $30. Columbia plans an initial shipment of about 1.7 million copies.

The new album could conceivably outsell Springsteen's classic Born in the U.S.A., which has sold about 20 million copies, but may not catch Michael Jackson's Thriller (35 million copies). Even so, the price of the Springsteen package is more than three times what Thriller costs (about $8), and thus the Boss's live recordings could easily generate more revenue than any other product in music history.